Getting a game published?

[Melba Toast]

Let's say I've created a board game... no... let's say I've created a GOOD BOARD GAME, one that's distinct from everything else on the market, with an elegant mechanic and an interesting, commercial yet not over-done theme*.

Now lets say I don't have the means to publish it myself. How do I, as a newbie game designer with extraordinary confidence in my creation, go about presenting my game to publishers? Are publishers keen to meet with new designers, or do they only return calls from Reiner Kinizia? If you ship something to them that is clearly hand-made, do they immediately throw it away?

I don't consider myself a game designer, but I think I stumbled onto a great idea quite by accident. At first I thought I had a hole in my collection, but after a little research, I realized the hole was industry wide. I'd just like to know whether it's worth the trouble to shop it around.

*over-done themes = fantasy, space opera, Renaissance Europe, anything to do with early/frontier settlements, animals, or zombies.

[Hammerhead]

I don't have any advice for publishing a game or anything, but you might want to ask yourself if publishing a game with an "unpopular"* theme is really the way to go.


*And by unpopular, I mean there aren't many games with this theme.

[Asmor]

You're probably better off asking at the BoardGameGeek Board Game Design Forum.

[scitadel]

Check out the blog by Jack of Reiver Games. He's a self-publisher, but he's also gotten to the size where he is getting games sent to him. I think he has a few articles on what you're asking for on his blog, and Jack himself is always replying to comment threads/etc. He's super helpful.